2023 Set Tunes Series: ‘The End of the Little Bridge’

Since 2001, Dr. William Donaldson has been contributing his Set Tunes Series for pipes|drums readers. Now comprising more than 170 piobaireachd, the series is the world’s largest free online repository of ceol mor.

Each piece includes all known published manuscripts, often from obscure publications only available from the National Library in Edinburgh, and most are accompanied by a sound recording of Donaldson’s interpretation and analysis of the tune.

We begin the 2023 edition of the Set Tunes Series with “The End of the Little Bridge,” the counterpart to the more-played and popular “The End of the Great Bridge.” This instalment includes a fascinating written account by General C.S. Thomason, one of the great figures in piobaireachd history.

Just click on the image to go to the Set Tunes section, each painstakingly researched and analyzed by Donaldson, resulting in the largest single collection of published source material in one place.Stay tuned to pipes|drums for the next piece in Dr. William Donaldson’s 2023 Set Tunes Series, coming soon.